Abhanga 554
Tukaram gives blunt, practical advice for dealing with people who attack or slander you, comparing them to barking dogs, let them bark, and do not stoop to their level by barking back. He warns a sincere person not to give credibility to a wicked person's words just because they were said loudly or often. At the same time, he does not preach passive silence, he says use whatever strength you have to publicly call out and shame someone who is genuinely wicked, and there is no wrongdoing in that kind of rebuke.
The verse
भुंकती तीं द्यावीं भुंकों । आपण त्यांचें नये शिकों ॥१॥ भाविकांनीं दुर्जनाचें । मानूं नये कांहीं साचें ॥ध्रु.॥ होइल तैसें बळ । फजीत करावे ते खळ ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे त्यांचें । पाप नाहीं ताडणाचें ॥३॥
Literal translation
Barking — let them bark — don't learn from them. Bhāvika — durjana-words — don't take sācā. As much bala — fajīta — khaḷa. Tuka says: no pāpa — in tāḍaṇa.
मराठी: भुंकती तीं द्यावीं भुंकों — आपण त्यांचें नये शिकों. भाविकांनीं दुर्जनाचें — मानूं नये कांहीं साचें. होइल तैसें बळ — फजीत करावे ते खळ. तुकाराम म्हणतां — पाप नाहीं ताडणाचें.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| भुंकती तीं द्यावीं भुंकों | "barking — let them bark" |
| आपण त्यांचें नये शिकों | "we — don't learn from them" |
| भाविकांनीं दुर्जनाचें | "bhāvika — durjana" |
| मानूं नये कांहीं साचें | "don't take sācā" |
| होइल तैसें बळ | "as much bala" |
| फजीत करावे ते खळ | "fajīta — the khaḷa" |
| पाप नाहीं ताडणाचें | "no pāpa — in tāḍaṇa" |
What it means
A barking-dogs-don't-bark-back-no-pāpa-in-rebuke abhang. Public-discipline-of-wicked register. Three claims:
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भुंकती तीं द्यावीं भुंकों — आपण त्यांचें नये शिकों — barking — let them bark — don't learn from them. The opening-rule: those who arebhumkatī(barking) — let thembhumkōm(bark); we — don'tśikōm(learn) from them. Don't-imitate-the-barkers; let-them-bark. The dog-image: dogs bark; don't bark-back at dogs.
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भाविकांनीं दुर्जनाचें — मानूं नये कांहीं साचें — bhāvika — durjana-words — don't take sācā. The bhāvika-rule: thebhāvika(sincere-bhakta) — thedurjana(wicked-one)'s words; don'tmānūm(take, accept) assācā(true). Sincere-bhakta-doesn't-trust-wicked-words. Don't-give-the-durjana's-talk-credibility.
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होइल तैसें बळ — फजीत करावे ते खळ — तुका म्हणे त्यांचें — पाप नाहीं ताडणाचें — as much bala — fajīta — khaḷa — Tuka says: no pāpa — in tāḍaṇa. The closing-no-pāpa-claim: as muchbala(strength) as comes / is possible; fajīta (publicly-rebuke, publicly-shame) the khaḷa (wicked);Tuka says: no pāpa (sin) — in the tāḍaṇa (smacking, chastising) of such.Public-rebuke-of-wicked-is-no-pāpa.License-to-publicly-rebuke-the-khaḷa.
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram gives blunt, practical advice for dealing with people who attack or slander you, comparing them to barking dogs, let them bark, and do not stoop to their level by barking back. He warns a sincere person not to give credibility to a wicked person's words just because they were said loudly or often. At the same time, he does not preach passive silence, he says use whatever strength you have to publicly call out and shame someone who is genuinely wicked, and there is no wrongdoing in that kind of rebuke.
मराठी: जो माणूस तुमच्यावर हल्ला करतो किंवा तुमची निंदा करतो, त्याची तुलना तुकाराम भुंकणाऱ्या कुत्र्याशी करतात, त्यांना भुंकू द्या, आणि त्यांच्या पातळीवर उतरून तुम्हीही भुंकू नका, असा सरळ आणि व्यवहारी सल्ला ते देतात. एखाद्या दुर्जन माणसाचे शब्द फक्त मोठ्याने किंवा वारंवार बोलले गेले म्हणून खरे मानू नका, असा इशारा ते प्रामाणिक माणसाला देतात. त्याचबरोबर ते गप्प बसण्याचा उपदेश करत नाहीत, ते म्हणतात जेवढी शक्ती असेल तेवढी वापरून खऱ्या अर्थाने दुष्ट असलेल्या माणसाला उघडपणे नावं ठेवा आणि लाजवा, आणि अशा फटकारण्यात काहीही पाप नाही.
Where this applies
- Let barking-dogs bark. Don't-imitate.
- Bhāvikadon't trustdurjana. Discrimination.
- Fajītathekhaḷa. Active-rebuke.
- No pāpa in tāḍaṇa. License.